Rose and the Stranger Named Ron: New Version
by jac32oz
Summary: Rose has known all her life that she isn't anything like her family, the Potters. During this story, Rose will discover the truth about her real parents, and who she really is. REWRITTEN. YOU DON'T NEED TO READ THE OTHER ONE.
1. Birth and Death

_Okay guys, I'M BACK! CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES! It's been a whole 2 months and a half since I've been of FanFiction. Anyway, I already have this story, as you can see, but I've made it better! Now, continue reading._

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It was a chilly November's day. So chilly, in fact, that you might think that it would be the perfect day for something tragic to happen. Ron and Hermione Weasley were inside their home, having no difficulty keeping warm. The fireplace was lit, but there were a few other magical means of keeping warm. Even with the warmth inside, however, the events on this day would leave a permanent chill inside of the house.

"Ron!"

Ron looked up from his newspaper, and was horrorstruck to see a pale and sweaty Hermione, clutching her large stomach. She was unsteady on her feet as she made her way over to the couch, so Ron stood up and caught her in his arms before she could fall.

"Hermione, what happened?" asked Ron, now panicking.

"Ron, I think I'm giving birth!" she cried, having difficulty breathing and talking.

"Okay, Hermione, let's go to St. Mungo's!" paniked Ron, trying to pull her to the fireplace, but she wouldn't move. Instead, she started crying, shaking her head back and forward.

"Ron, it doesn't feel right," she gasped through the pain. "It hurts so much!"

"Hermione, we've got to get you to St. Mungo's!" Ron said, pale but determined.

"Okay, just-oh Ron, I love you so much!" And with as much strength as she could muster, Hermione streched herself up to kiss Ron hard on the lips.

Tears starting to stream down his face, he scooped her up in his arms and made his way to the fireplace and Flooed to St. Mungo's.

Once there, Hermione was whisked away into an emergency ward, with Ron by her side, and all the while she was screaming in pain. Ron tried to keep his emotions back, to be strong for Hermione like she had been so many times for him, but he couldn't help but let a sob escape here and there. Oh, how the screaming brought back memories! Ron wasn't a grown man anymore, but still a teenager, unable to save Hermione from torture and pain. He wanted to scream out Hermione's name, bang his fists against the wall, and demand that she be left alone; but they weren't at Malfoy Manor, and this was a different kind of torture, one that Ron couldn't fix.

Once inside a room in the ward, it was made clear to the healers that there was something definitely wrong. Before he could protest and say it was his right to be there, Ron was taken away from the room and was plunked into a sitting room. It took all of his willpower to stay there, and to not barge in where they had Hermione, grab her in his arms, and take her to his mum, who, in his mind, could solve anything.

He had not thought to send a Partronus to anyone, so he sat there alone for what seemed like hours, until a Healer came in looking for him.

"Are you the husband of Hermione Weasley?" she asked.

He nodded impatiently, desperate for news.

"I'm sorry to inform you that your wife didn't make it," she said sadly. For the next few seconds, Ron looked at the healer, confused. Finally, when the words struck him, he sank down to his knees, clutching the chair for support. The Healer said something, but he couldn't comprehend, for he was drowning in his misery. Hermione? Gone? That wasn't a concept he could even comprehend. What were they talking about, she didn't make it? This was the girl who survived Bellatrix Lestrange! Not to mention all of those coutless dangers that they had taken part with Harry in his fight against Voldemort. These people were crazy, Hermione was to clever to die. Hermione was _not _dead.

"Mr. Weasley, did you hear what I said? The child survives, you are the father of a beautiful little girl."

Ron stood up, his face blank. He did not know how to feel about this. He couldn't feel anything, except grateful that the numbness in his body was a barrier against the pain.

"Take me to her," he finally said.

They walked down a long hallway, and through each door, Ron tried to see if he would spot Hermione. No such luck.

And there, in a small room, was where Ron's daughter lay. He looked down at her in her crib hesitantly, noticing that she had Weasley red hair, although it was bushy like her mother's.

Ron did not permit himself to think of her name, not now, not when she'd only been gone from this world for such short time.

He closed his eyes for a moment as the pain finally washed through him and his body accepted what was true: Hermione was gone. The pain washed over him for a few minutes until he forced his eyes to open again.

The child's eyes were open and intelligent, looking around the room without really seeing. As Ron crept closer, she layed her eyes upon him. Then, everything went black.

A few minutes later, Ron found himself on a bed, the only other people in the room being a Healer and his own daughter. Ron looked at the baby, but avoided her eyes, for that had been the reason that he had fainted. They were the same exact shade of brown as her mother's, the eyes that Ron loved.

_I knew I would always end up hurting her beyond repair_, he thought darkly to himself. _The half that is like me is the one that ended up killing her, my wife, my love, my everything. _

He would have hurt the baby if it had not been half of Hermione, living proof of their love.

It was pouring and dark outside when Harry heard a knock on the door. When he opened it, he saw a sight that surprised his so much that he had to make sure that it really was Ron there, dripping wet, and clutching a baby.

"Ron, wha-" Then he noticed that the wetness in Ron's eyes were not from the rain. He dragged a paralized Ron into the sitting room, and made him sit down. Ginny, who had been putting James to sleep, came waddling in.

"What happened?" Harry asked quietly.

"She's gone. Gone forever." Then Harry understood. Ginny was started to sob into her hands, also understanding, understanding the fact the Hermione was dead.

"Why didn't you send me a Patronus?" Harry demanded. "I should have been there Ron, I'm her best friend, how could you just not tell anyone? I could have said goodbye. I could have said so many things that I still had to say."

They were all silent, except for Ginny's tears, until it was realized that Ron wasn't going to respond.

"But she gave birth, then?" said Harry, swallowing hard and nodding at the baby. Harry didn't know how to feel. His best friend, his _sister_, dead. It was unreal.

Ron didn't reply. Instead, he just started sobbing harder, bringing Harry back to 8 years ago, seeing Ron cry over Fred.

"Harry, I can't take it. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself. Harry, I don't want her," Ron's voice cracked. He thrusted the baby into Harry's arms.

"LOOK AT HER EYES!" Ron screamed like a madman at a confused Harry, his voice echoing his pain and sadness, not caring if he woke up two-year-old James.

Harry obediently looked down at the baby's eyes, and sure enough, they were the same brown, intelligent eyes that Hermione had.

"I don't want her," Ron repeated, quieter. "I know that she died because of something to do with the baby, and I know it was because half of it is me. Don't you see Harry? I'm always hurting her. Always being rude to her, Lavander, and now having something of myself inside of her?" Ron scoffed. "I knew I would always hurt her. I knew it. Harry, I'm afraid that I'll do something bad to the baby, bad to the part that's Hermione. I don't want that. I know that I won't be a good father, and I'll be even worse now that she doesn't have a mother. You and Ginny need to take her."

Harry started to say something, but Ginny interrupted him.

"Are you as mad as you look Ron? We already have James, and a soon-to-be Albus! We can't take care of your baby!"

"I don't care what you tell her," continued Ron, as always, ignoring his sister. "Tell her that she and Albus are twins, or that me and Hermione died or something. I just don't care, as long as she doesn't know what a horrible father she has. Promise me Harry!" he pleaded. Harry simply nodded, and Ron looked extremely relieved. As he started to make his way to the door, Harry called out to him.

"Ron, what are you going to do with yourself?" Harry demanded.

Ron simply smiled, and replied,"Don't worry about me, I won't do anything too terrible. I'll keep in touch," he added.

He started walking towards the door, hesitated for a moment, then walked back to where a horrorstruck Ginny and a solemn Harry were sitting. He leaned down and pressed his lips to the baby's forehead, and with a pained whisper of "Goodbye Rose. I hope you'll be happy", he turned around and left into the still pouring night.

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_You like? I like. I've been so busy with Tumblr. Do you have one? Mine is jac32oz(.)tumblr(.)com!_


	2. The Story

Okay, I changed this part majorly from the original one. So yeah. Enjoy.

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"Kids! Come down for dinner!" Ginny yelled up the stairs.

Rose put down her book and walked down the stairs behind her brother Albus.

_It's hard to believe we're twins_, she thought for the millionth time._ I mean, we're like complete opposites. He has dark, messy hair and green eyes, looking exactly like Dad, and I have bushy, red hair with brown eyes. I know I get my red hair from my Mum, but my brown eyes are a different shade from hers. Albus loves Quidditch, and I can't stand anything about it. It seems like I'm the only one in my family that seems to think Quidditch is boring._

She gave a mental shrug, then went down to help her mother with dinner.

"So Rose, do you have all of your things ready for Hogwarts? The train leaves tomorrow, you know!" her mother reminded her as she poured stew onto everyone's plates.

"Mum, do I need to bring to your attention, once again, that I have checked my trunk exactly 14 time this month? Honestly, it's like you don't know me at all," Rose shook her had at her mother's foolishness.

"Rose, it was just a simple reminder. You don't have to get all snappy about it," Ginny said as Albus, Lily, and James all sat in their seats for dinner.

"Something smells delicious!" Harry walked into the dinning room and gave Ginny a smile.

"Oh please," Ginny rolled her eyes. "You know I'm not nearly as good as a cook as my mother is."

"Doesn't matter to me," Harry replied, giving his wife a long kiss on the mouth.

"Please, I'm trying to have dinner here!" James complained, looking away from his parents in disgust.

Harry broke away from Ginny to grin at his children.

"Ah, and there are those creatures that I call my children," he smiled, looking at each of the kids. Whenever Harry's eyes passed over Rose, something within the green depths changed. Rose noticed, of course. She always noticed the pain and sadness that seemed to be permanently marked into those green orbs everytime he looked at his eldest daughter. As usual, Rose said nothing, but just smiled at her father.

"Dad, will you tell us a story after dinner?" Lily asked. Harry's stories were very popular with the Potter family, obviously because there was so much in his life that sounded like a fairy tale.

"Only if your sibilings have packed their trunks for Hogwarts," Harry replied, eating some of his stew.

"We've already packed," James lied, with Albus nodding eagerly at his side. Rose surpressed the urge to roll her eyes.

Harry sighed. "Alright. But only because it's your last day of summer."

And so the Potters gathered in their living room, with Lily on her father's lap, James and Albus sitting on the floor on front of their father, and Rose squeezed on the couch in between her parents.

"What story would you like?" Harry asked, looking at Lily.

"Oh, do one about Ron and Hermione!" she exclaimed, not seeing her brother's eye rolls. "They're always so romantic!"

"Hardly," Ginny muttered.

"Okay, I'll do one about them. Are you okay with that, Rose?" Harry looked over at her. Rose nodded, not wanting to admit how much she craved these stories that were told on occasion.

"Alright. Well, as you all know, Ron and Hermione were my best friends since my first year at Hogwarts, and they came with me on my hunt to destroy Voldemort. As you all know, Ron was your mother's brother, making him your uncle and Hermione your aunt, but they were both so in love that they decided to go live somewhere far away, and that's why they never visit. Anyway, for a really long period, we were out in the woods, camping and staying hidden. I may have been with my best friends, but it was not a pleasant experience. We never had enough food, we weren't finding anything. So one day, your uncle just left." Lily gasped, and even the boys looked a bit troubled.

"Why did he leave?" Lily asked, looking horrified.

"Times were hard," Harry shrugged, trying not to show the pain he was feeling as he relived the past. "That, amongst other reasons, is why he left."

"Did he come back?" Rose demanded. For some odd reason, she just _had _to know if these two lovers survived the horrible times.

"I'm getting to that. Weeks passed from the time Ron left. You see, your aunt was really good at, well, basically everything, so she was the one that placed the protective enchantments, ensuring that no one would find us. They worked extremely well. He couldn't find us. That is, until the day that I saw the patronus. The patronus was Snape's doe, although, at the time, we didn't know it." Harry grinned down at his youngest son, who's second namesake was the one that casted that doe patronus.

"I followed the doe until I reached a pond. Within that pond was what we needed the most: the sword of Gryffindor. So I did what I had to do and dived right in to get the sword. Only I started drowning before I could climb back out. I would have died if it weren't for the person that had jumped into that pond to save me and the sword."

"Who was it?" Lily asked.

"Ron. He came back. Turns out, he really regreted leaving us, so he came back. He would always come back the the bushy-haired girls he cares about." Harry smiled at Rose, who was still confused about something.

"But how did he return?" Rose asked. "I mean, even if you were out of the perimeter for the enchanments, there is a really small chance that Ron just happened to be there."

"You're right Rose," Harry nodded. "It was the Deluminator. It didn't just turn off lights. A few nights before Ron returned, Hermione said his name, and that was the first time that either of us had said it out loud. Apparently it activated a sort of portkey for the Deluminator, and that's how he found us."

"Oooh, that's so romantic!" Lily squealed. "I wish that would happen to me."

"Oh Lils," Rose shook her head. "Would you seriously want the love of your life to leave your right when you needed them the most? You're so naive."

"It's still romantic!" Lily argued.

"Now girls, that's enough," Ginny scolded, as Rose looked determinded to continue the discussion. "All of you, bed. Now. James, Al, both of you better be packed by the time I come up there, or so help me..."

James and Albus tried to act like they didn't care, but as soon as they were out of sight, they scrambled up the stairs, both equally fearing their mother's wrath.

As Rose was in bed, she thought about the story her father had told her. She had always felt a strange, unexplained connection with her father's best friends. She wondered what it would be like if they visited. She could tell that her parent's missed them very much, but didn't miss them enough to seek them out. She wondered why.

Rose mentally scoffed as Ginny yelled at her other children to get in bed before she beat them with her broomstick. No doubt Lily had still been in her brother's rooms, trying to live in the excitment of packing for Hogwarts. She still had two years until she would be going to the castle.

And with that last thought, Rose rolled over and fell asleep, not thinking about tomorrow and the changes that it could bring.

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Yeah, so I changed that Rose actually knew who Ron and Hermione were, instead of her being all like "who are you" when Ron shows up in her life. I don't know how I'm going to write the rest though. Meh.

I'm still not 100% back. This story is supposed to help me get a fresh start here in FF. You know, cause of my unannounced hiatus...

Anyway, if you follow, Love is its Own Kind of Magic, I'm working on the next chapter! Promise! The same can't be said for 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1. I'm just not feeling it.

Any thoughts? Concerns? Any ideas for new stories you want? Just tell me!

Find me on tumblr! jac32oz(.)tumblr(.)com

~jac32oz


	3. King's Cross Station

Another update! This took me but please enjoy!

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It was a cool morning on this September the 1st. Rose noticed that as the looked out her window, waiting until it was tiime to get in the car and go to the train station.

She could hear the shouts of her brothers as the packed last miinute things. She could also occasionally hear her mother asking them why they couldn't be more like Rose. Rose couldn't help but smile.

"EVERYONE. IN THE CAR. NOW!" Ginny shouted up the stairs. Rose walked down the stairs and gave the house a last glance of goodbye. She would be back, of course, but not for several months. She would miss it.

When they were all packed and ready in the car, Rose could tell that her father was eager about something. Being the only observant child in the family, she started to ponder what he was eager about. The way that he and Ginny whispered like excited school children sent her into slight alarm.

When they had parked and were in between platforms 9 and 10, Ginny stopped James, who usually went through first, to let her father go through.

"He has something to take care of," she explained, with a slight smile. When they had all gone through, Rose a little hesitantly, they crained their heads, seaching for their father through the thick smoke.

"I see him!" Lily shrieked, pointed in a direction, where sure enough, there was their father, but not standing alone. He was there with another man, as redheaded as Rose and Lily and Ginny were, who wore and expression of fear mixed nervousness. Rose noticed that he had a sort of shabby look to him, as if he hadn't shaved for weeks.

When they walked up to them, Ginny walked up to the man and gave him a huge hug, who returned in fiercly.

"Kids, I'd like you to meet someone very special to me," introduced Harry. "Someone who you've heard a lot about. Children, this is your uncle Ron."

James and Albus gave shouts of delight and Lily squealed, but Rose could only stare at the man. This is the man that had starred in all of her childhood stories? Ron, who was always so brave and loyal? If he was brave, he didn't look like it right now. Right now, he was looking straight at Harry, pleading something with his eyes.

"Uncle Ron," Lily said, "where is aunt Hermione?"

The desperation in Ron's eyes increased, giving him a slightly maddening look. Ginny reached over to her brother and took his hand, but he completely ignored her.

"Your aunt Hermione isn't here at the moment, sweetheart," Ginny said gently, for even Harry had semi-frozen at the question.

"Yes, that's right!" Harry said, detemined. "Ron, meet my kids: James, Albus, Lily, and Rose."

"Hello everyone. You all look extactly like your parents," Ron smiled slightly at Lily, and Rose knew that he was seeing the exact replica of his baby sister when she was Lily's age. He avoided Rose's gaze.

"Anyway, your dad wanted me to come see you, and now that I've seen you, I think I should leave now," Ron turned away, but Harry caught him by the shoulder, staring his best friend in the eyes.

"Mate, you _know _you can't leave. You've but this off too long. Think of what Hermione would say if she were here. She would want you to stay, to always stay," Harry told his friend sternly. Ron closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he stared straight at Rose. It seemed like he couldn't tear his eyes away from hers.

"Where have you been?" Rose asked softly. "My parents miss you so much, yet you and aunt Hermione are always gone. Why?"

Rose didn't know why she felt betrayed that her uncle was never here, but maybe it was because she felt an instant connection with him. She even kind of looked like him, but it must be through her mum's genes that she got a bit on Uncle Ron in her.

"Rose," Ginny said gently, for once in her life.

"Don't you miss him mum?" Rose asked. "This man has been in almost every childhood story of mine, but you make it seem like he's a complete stranger now. What happened to the man that sobbed while aunt Hermione was tortured? Because this isn't him mum. He has a reason for staying away, and I feel like I need to know that reason."

"Rose, you're about to go to _Hogwarts_, for Merlin's sake!" Ginny said, exasperated. "Your uncle just came to see you off on the train. Don't let this get in the way of your excitment. It's what you've been waiting for your whole life."

Rose didn't say anything, so Ginny turned towards her sons to tell them goodbye. Lily had walked over to her dad and grabbed his hand, looking a bit troubled.

"Goodbye darling," Ginny turned towards Rose, but Rose couldn't bring herself to look her mother in they eye. "Have a wonderful time. Owl us if you need anything, and don't forget to have fun."

Rose quickly embraced her mother, then Lily and her father, and finally turned towards her uncle. Ron gave her a sad smile, before saying. "I know I can't answer all of the questions that are surely buzzing around in your brain, but you look so much like you mum."

Rose was still confused as she stumbled onto the train and into the compartment that had become the official "Weasley-Potter" compartment. Rose, looking like her mum? This man surely was insane, because no one in her entire life had told Rose that she looked like her mum. Lily was the one that was the younger version of Ginny, not Rose. Rose didn't look like anyone in her family.

"Well, except Uncle Ron," she thought bitterly. She had to admit to herself that she was quite disappointed that the man that was one of her childhood heros turned out to be a man who looked like living was too painful for him. But there was something else too, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

The train whistle snapped her out of her thoughts, and she rushed over to the window to catch a last glance of her parents. Instead, her eyes landed on Ron, who looked at her and gave her a half-smile. She raised her hand and waved, her eyes never leaving his. Ron raised his own hand to give a small wave. As the train moved faster, Rose could have sworn that she saw unshed tears in the blue eyes of her uncle.

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So yeah. That was different. I think I like the King's Cross Station chapter better in my old story.

Sorry I haven't updated! I've been busy with my birthday that was last week, and end of course exams that were also last week.

ALSO, I wrote chapter 4 for this story one day, BUT, it was saved on my school laptop, and I took it to the tech to fix a bug that it had, so it got reimaged, which means that EVERYTHING got erased. Sigh.

I'll update my 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 story soon, I hope!

Well, I must be off to Tumblr!


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